Changing the perception of Ukraine in the European space through war diaries

The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has not only transformed geopolitical realities, but also reshaped cultural and imagological discourses across Europe. War diaries, as one of the most immediate and authentic literary responses to wartime experience, have emerged as a crucial medium for rearticulating Ukraine’s self-image and its representation in the European cultural space. This article analyses Ukrainian wartime diaries as imagological texts that mediate between the construction of national identity (auto-image) and the shaping of external perceptions (hetero-image) within European cultural discourse. By documenting daily realities of conflict, resilience and survival, these texts challenge stereotypical narratives of Ukraine as a peripheral or transitional space. Instead, they present a nation asserting its civic values and cultural agency in the face of existential threat. Applying imagological methodology, the study highlights how diaries construct a self-reflective Ukrainian identity while simultaneously engaging with the European gaze. On the one hand, they articulate internal narratives of collective endurance, thereby reinforcing national self-image; on the other hand, they address international readers, influencing external perceptions and reshaping hetero-images of Ukraine within European discourse. The analysis highlights the interconnection between individual testimony and broader cultural representation, demonstrating how personal accounts contribute to collective memory and transnational solidarity. Ultimately, these diaries become powerful cultural artefacts that redefine Ukraine’s place in Europe, ensuring its visibility not only as a victim of aggression, but also as a subject of cultural and political self-determination.